A Theology of the Family

A Theology of the Family is an excellent anthology featuring a wealth of mostly-forgotten material from great Christian leaders of the past 500 years... In fact, the current dearth of biblical wisdom, combined with the rapid decline of the family as an institution, illustrates precisely why the material in this book is more truly relevant and more desperately needed than ever.
—Phil Johnson, Executive Director of Grace to You, Sun Valley, CA

This book presents a perspective on the family largely forgotten by the modern church. There are fifty-six authors featured in this volume; authors such as: John Bunyan, Jonathan Edwards, John Gill, William Gouge, Matthew Henry, Martin Luther, A.W. Pink, J. C. Ryle, R. C. Sproul, Charles Spurgeon and Thomas Watson. Each of them give a powerful testimony that the twenty-first-century church needs to be reminded of what she used to believe about family life. These authors bring a measure of the correction and the balm necessary to heal our amnesia and return us to biblical order.

In the mid 1990s, it began to occur to me that the modern Church had actually lost the biblical doctrine of the family. Biblical fatherhood was dead. Feminists owned womanhood. Motherhood was despised. Babies were marginalized as thieves of convenience and success. In America, we have aborted millions of children since 1973. Marriages were crumbling, and the very institution was being redefined. It was almost impossible to find men in the church who understood biblical manhood or fatherhood. The twentieth century was a bad time for the family; the trends were all running in the wrong direction, and biblical ignorance was speeding the family on its way to destruction.

Meanwhile, Jeff Pollard was doing something about it. He was toiling into the night to document a correct theology of the family. He brought these doctrines together in an organized form for the ministry of Chapel Library. If you have known Jeff for any length of time, you know that the last twelve years of his life has been defined by his ministry to Mount Zion Bible Church and the unrelenting schedule to produce the Free Grace Broadcaster, a quarterly digest of Christ-centered sermons and articles from prior centuries. It is all about recovering sound doctrine and biblical practices. Jeff has produced dozens of booklets on subjects such as the gospel, sin, repentance, the Holy Spirit, the blood of Christ, justification, sanctification, secret sins, and many other critical matters. Through Jeff’s work at Chapel Library, there is a wealth of doctrinal resources that are being shipped all over the world. He brought them together in order to correct the lapses, heal the wounds, and pass them on to the rising generation. He worked for over a decade to identify the great authors and writings of the past that could meet the problems of our day. He went back in time. He returned to eras where a Christ centered view of the family was understood much better. He has revealed the doctrine locked in the literary treasure chests of the past. I am thankful that he also did this for the doctrine of the family.

Hardcover: 712 pages

Publisher: The National Center for Family Integrated Churches; 1 edition (November 17, 2014)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1624180469

ISBN-13: 978-1624180460

Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 7.4 x 1.9 inches

Shipping Weight: 3.8 pounds

A Theology of the Family is an excellent anthology featuring a wealth of mostly-forgotten material from great Christian leaders of the past 500 years... In fact, the current dearth of biblical wisdom, combined with the rapid decline of the family as an institution, illustrates precisely why the material in this book is more truly relevant and more desperately needed than ever.
—Phil Johnson, Executive Director of Grace to You, Sun Valley, CA

This volume is a spiritual buffet for Christian family life, a delicious smorgasbord of short selections largely drawn from treasured Reformed writers. It dishes up biblical truth, loading the table with meaty explanation, sweet comfort, and well-spiced exhortation for fathers, mothers, children, and young people.
—Dr. Joel R. Beeke, President of Puritan Reformed theological Seminary, Grand Rapids, Michigan, and author of A Puritan Theology

There are many books on the family, so why another one? This is not “another one”! I commend A Theology of the Family because it is a compilation of some of the best articles on the subject of the family from proven teachers of the last five hundred years.
—Conrad, Mbewe, pastor of Kabwata Baptist Church, in Lusaka Zambia, and author of Foundations for the Flock: Truths About the Church for All the Saints

We are all placed in great debt to those whose vision and labors have produced this amazing collage of godly wisdom concerning this all important issue. With God’s blessing upon its pages, may the usefulness of this book in our day exceed our highest expectations and our most bold prayers. May the same be true for future generations, should our Lord delay his return.
—Albert N. Martin, served as a pastor of Trinity Baptist Church of Montville, New Jersey for forty-six years and is author of Preaching in the Holy Spirit; Grieving, Hope, and Solace: When a Loved One Dies in Christ; and You Lift Me Up: Overcoming Ministry Challenges

...There is probably no greater threat to our culture than the demise of godly family life. There is no certainly greater resource for a godly family life (outside the Bible) than the vast and blessed legacy contained in the Reformed tradition of teaching on this subject. The present volume gives easy access to that vast resource for godly family life.... May God be pleased through this volume to raise up godly families and through them to strengthen and stabilize godly churches.
—Sam Waldron, Dean and professor of Systematic Theology at Covenant Baptist Theological Seminary, and author of A Man as Priest

The godly Christian family faces unrelenting pressures from a fallen world (and sadly, sometimes from misguided churches) which threatens to dismantle it or at least redefine it on its own terms... This book is a spiritual treasure chest filled with pure gold from proven writers both old and new. It touches on a variety of subjects beneficial for every family member. I heartily recommend it.
—Pastor Rob Ventura, Grace Community Baptist Church, North Providence, RI, Co-Author of A Portrait of Paul and Spiritual Warfare

With the continuing rise in Home schooling–especially among people of color–there is always a search for historical and well-researched books that plainly spell out those virtues of family, church and Christian religion guaranteed to uplift our current and next generations. Enter Jeff Pollard and Scott T. Brown with their massive work: “A Theology of the Family: Five Centuries of Biblical Wisdom for Family Life” (2014, 714 Pages, The National Center for Family-Integrated Churches).

This is, actually, more than a good theological work. Yes, it is KJV in its Scripture citations and scope, but it packs a lot of the best work put forth by well known and not-so-well-known preachers and bible teachers over the last FIVE centuries on the institution of the family, straight out of the Word of God.

“Family prayer and the pulpit are the bulwarks of Protestantism! Depend upon it, when family piety goes down, the life of godliness will become very low.” –Arthur W. Pink, Pastor & Author “A Theology of the Family”

Pastors and their families could also benefit from this work, as it contains sound instruction on the issues of Godly Manhood, Marriage, Family Worship and Virtuous Womanhood. The preaching lineup is a deep as this book is large…from the Puritan era, right up to some of the ‘preaching heroes’ of our modern age. One of the beauties of this book is that it provides a clear road map as to how churches could–from the pulpit to the pew–start bringing forth solid truths to turn many a family around. After all, if the home is right…this will help the church, the school, and society as a whole.

Pollard and Brown have a hit on their hands. This book may be found through your favorite on line book seller, or may be obtained through The National Center for Family-Integrated Churches (www.ncfic.org).

—Mike Ramey is a Minister, Reviewer and Syndicated Columnist who lives in Indianapolis, Indiana. On Line Reviews brings current and lesser-known titles to public light in the quest to re-kindle a love for reading and thinking in a sea of modern technology. Feel free to reach him via email at [email protected].

Chapter 3—Virtuous Womanhood
Christianity’s Influence on the Condition of Women - John Angell James (1785-1859)
Woman’s Mission - John Angell James (1785-1859)
A Virtuous Woman Described - Charles Bridges (1794-1869)
Christ’s Call to Young Women - Thomas Vincent (1634-1678)
Grace for a Wife’s Submission - William Gouge (1575-1653)
For Mothers, Experienced or New - John Angell James (1785-1859)
Christ’s Work and Single Women - W.K. Tweedie (1803-1863)
To a Recent Woman Convert - Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758)
A Grandmother in Glory - Jabez Burns (1805-1876)

Chapter 4—Marriage
The Excellence of Marriage - Arthur W. Pink (1886-1952)
What Are the Duties of Husbands and Wives - Richard Steele (1629-1692)
Mutual Duties of Husbands and Wives - John Angell James (1785-1859)
A Husband’s Love for His Wife - Richard Steele (1629-1692)
A Wife’s Submission - John Bunyan (1628-1688)
A Wife’s Respect for Her Husband - Richard Steele (1629-1692)
Duties That Preserve Marriage - William Gouge (1575-1653)
Thoughts on Finding a Marriage Partner - John Angell James (1785-1859)
The Marriage of the Lamb - Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892)

Chapter 5—Bringing Up Children
Bringing Up Children for God - Edward Payson (1783-1827)
Nurture and Admonition - David Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981)
Primary Obligations of Parents - J.C. Ryle (1816-1900)
General Duties of Parents to Children - John Bunyan (1628-1688)
Teaching Children about God - Philip Doddridge (1702-1751)
The Art of Balanced Discipline - David Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981)
Children to Be Educated for Christ - Edward W. Hooker (1794-1875)
Teaching Children Character - Philip Doddridge (1702-1751)
Principle Obstacles in Bringing Up Children for Christ - John Angell James (1785-1859)
The Calamity of Ungodly Children - Edward Lawrence (1623-1695)
Directions for Grieving over Ungodly Children - Edward Lawrence (1623-1695)
A Unique Opportunity of Witnessing to the World - David Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981)

Chapter 12—Thoughts for Young People
Thoughts for Young People - Archibald Alexander (1772-1851)
General Counsels for Young People - J.C. Ryle (1816-1900)
Youth Warned Against Sin - John Angell James (1785-1859)
Persuasions to Sober-Mindedness - Matthew Henry (1662-1714)
Brothers and Sisters - John Angell James (1785-1859)
Standing Fast or Falling Away? - Thomas Vincent (1634-1678)
No Excuses: Believe the Gospel - Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892)

Appendix A - Themes and History of the Free Grace Broadcaster
Appendix B - History
Appendix C - About Chapel Library

Contributors:

Scott T. Brown is the President of the National Center for Family-Integrated Churches and pastor at Hope Baptist Church in Wake Forest, North Carolina. Scott graduated from California State University in Fullerton with a degree in History and received a Master of Divinity degree from Talbot School of Theology. He gives his time to expository preaching and local pastoral ministry, as well as conferences on Biblical doctrine and church and family reformation. He and his wife Deborah have four grown children. Scott helps people think through the two greatest evangelistic and discipleship institutions God has provided — the church and the family.

By God’s grace Jeff Pollard was converted to Jesus Christ from a career in rock music in the early 1980s. Though religious from his youth, his true conversion at age thirty brought him to understand and then to preach God’s sovereign grace. God’s Spirit and Word awakened him to his responsibilities as husband and father as well as to God’s vision for families. Jeff is now an elder of Mt. Zion Bible Church, Pensacola, Florida. He is the editor of the Free Grace Broadcaster and author of Christian Modesty and the Public Undressing of America and Do You Know Jesus Christ?